Card support



Dec. 1, 1942. R CQNNQR ETAL 2,303,326

CARD SUPPORT Original Filed Sept. .13, 1940 'i I l l I I I 5 I 4 I Z 4 IINVENTORS Roar/e CONNOR BY 0 41.0 A/Ei/N WI 7 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 1,1942 'GFFI'CE CARD SUPPORT Roger Qonnor and Donald A. Nevin, Athens,@1110, asslgnors to The McBee Company, a corporation of Ohio Originalapplication September 13, 1940, Serial No.

Divided and this application March 20, 1941, Serial No. 384,362

6 Claims. (CL 129-161) Our invention relates-to sorting cards eitherselectively or sequentially. More specifically our invention relates toa card support of this character which is described in our Patent No.2,261,717 dated November 4, 1941, of which this application is adivision.

.As described in that patent, the device is designed to be used inconnection with cards which are notched or perforated on their edges, inthe manner described in United States Patent No. 1,544,172 dated June30, 1925, issued to Albert Perkins.

In the structure of that Perkins patent, the cards are provided with aplurality of perforations adjacent one or more edges and theseperforations are then notched or slotted out to the edge of the card toform a pattern relating to a single classification. The sorting is thenaccomplished by means of a sorting needle which is passed through thevarious perforations, the needle then being elevated and the desiredcards will fall into the tray, or by placing the cards removed in frontof the remaining cards and then repeating the operation, the cards, of amixed stack, can be sorted into numerical sequence.

In making a sort of these cards, it is necessary to grasp a number ofcards in one hand and hold them while inserting the needle in theperforations. In many cases sorts have to be made where there is a largeinstallation of upwards of one million cards.

It follows that any means to facilitate the sorting of cards is mostdesirable.

Our invention has for its principal object to provide a card support orholder which can be utilized to facilitate the sorting.

A. further object is to provide a support which is adapted to receive amaster plate or ternplate, one or more edges of which is provided withnotches, corresponding to notches and perforations in one or more edgesof the cards to be sorted.

A further object is to provide a construction for the master plate ortemplate which when combined with the support will present even surfaceto the ends or sides of the card to assist in evening them.

0111" means of accomplishing the foregoing objects may be readilyunderstood by reference to is a-perspective view of our improved cardshowing the stock of cards being placed in the support to even thempreparatory to sorting.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device, the cards being omitted andshowing the construction designed to present a smooth and unbrokensurface against which the cards may rest.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken of the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a modified form of construction.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedescription.

As shown in drawing, the holder or support comprises two verticallyextended walls or arms I and 2 which are connected at their ends to forma right angle as at 3. The wall 2 is preferably cast or formed with ashoulder 4 which is spaced from the main portion of wall 2 forming aslot 5. This slot may be milled or cast in the wall 2.

The master plate or template 6 is provided with an ofiset portion inwhich is fitted to and coincides with the slot 5 in wall 2. The plate 6should be sufilciently offset so that when it is inserted in slot 5, thesurface of the plate 6 and the surface of the shoulder t will form a contlnuous or unbroken line.

In the patent referred to, No. 2,261,717, the device for the cardsupport provides a base. In the device of this application no base isprovided, the support being adapted to rest on the surface of a table.Obviously the support may rest on a base such as is shown in saidpatent.

It may be found desirable to provide the mas ter plate 6 with cut outportions I2 and I3 to accommodate the thumb of the operator, though thisis not absolutely essential.

The use of a notched plate with notches such as I and d facilitatessorting by the use of a. sin gle needle, and where a multiple sortingneedle is used (there being some installations which use a multipleneedle for sorting) the operation is me... terially speeded by the useof our device. The operation is as follows:

The stack. or holder is placed upon a desls or table or on a base. Thepack of cards 8 is placed in the position shown in Fig. l, and pressedfirmly against the wall to even-the stacks or cards. The notched plateor template 6 aids in guiding the sorting needle into the required holesand slots. This device has been found in practice to materiallyfacilitate the operation of sorting.

in Fig. i, we have shown a modified form of construction which may beround desirable in shipping. as shown in this figure, the two walls land z are provided with slotted ends 15 and it which are connected by ahinge pin M. It will be clear that with this construction the supportcan be folded into a straight line which is much easier to pack, whileby opening it, as illustrated in Fig. i, it is equally available as therigidly connected form.

Having described our invention, what we regard as new and desire tosecure by letters Patent is:

1. In a card support two walls connected at right angles, there being aslot in one of said walls, a. master plate having notches in one of itsedges, said plate being provided with an oflset portion which is fittedto the slot in said wall whereby the wall and the plate will present anunbroken surface to the stack of cards.

2. In a card support, two walls connected at right angles, a masterplate having a plurality of slots in one or more of its edges, slottedmeans to mount said master plate in one of said walls, said master platehaving an offset portion, whereby the surface of the wall and thesurface of the plate present an unbroken surface.

3. In adevice for sorting cards, two upwardly extending side wallsconnected to form a right angle, a master plate at one side wall oneedge of which plate is provided with notches in number corresponding tothe notches and perforations in the cards which are to be sorted, saidmaster plate heing provided on its unnotched edges with thumb slots,said master plate having an offset portion, means to mount said offsetportion on one of said walls so that said master plate presents whencombined with said wall an unbroken surface.

aaoasae 4. In a device for sorting a stack of uneven cards which cardsare provided with a plurality of notches and perforations adjacent theedges; consisting of two upwardly extending side walls, said walls beingconnected at right angles, one or said walls having a longitudinal slot,a master plate having notches in one side and on one end adapted toregister with notches and perforations in the said cards, said platebeing ofiset to fit in said slot, whereby when the plate is inserted inthe slot the surface of the plate and the surface of the wall will beunbroken.

5. In a card support, two walls hingedly connected at right angles,there being a slot in one of said walls, a master plate having notchesin one of its edges, said plate being provided with an offset portionwhich is fitted to the slot in said well whereby the wall and the platewill present an unbroken surface to the stack of cards.

6. In a device for sorting a stack of uneven cards which cards areprovided with a plurality of notches and perforations adjacent theedges; consisting of two upwardly extended side walls, said walls beinghingedly connected at right an gles, a longitudinal slot extending inone 01 said walls, a master plate having notches in one side and in oneend adapted to register with notches and perforations in the said cards,said plate being onset to fit in said longitudinal slot, whereby whenthe plate is inserted in the slot the surface of the plate and thesurface of the wall will be unbroken.

ROGER CONNOR. DONALD A. NEVIN.

